UNHCR to suspend the return of Afghan refugees for 3 months

KABUL (Pajhowk): The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that the repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan would be suspended for the next three months due to cold weather, according to a Pakistani media.

“The repatriation process will be halted from December 1, 2018 till February 28, 2019 due to drop in the temperature and severe cold,” said spokesperson for the UNHCR.

He said all the UNHCR centres in Pakistan and Afghanistan would remain closed during the winter. The registered refugees would not be given financial compensation in case of return during the period, the spokesperson explained.

The operation will resume from March next year, he added.

According to a report published by the UNHCR in April 2018, Pakistan hosted the large number of refugees in the world. Based on the report, as many as 1.45 million refugees belong to Afghanistan.